


The Crown and the Shield

by Spring_Emerald



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:07:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24021814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spring_Emerald/pseuds/Spring_Emerald
Summary: Kei only presses his lips on his king’s hand, a sign of fealty and love.Tobio is his king and he’s the king’s loyal servant.Tobio is the crown and Kei is and forever will be his shield.-----For TsukkiKage Week 2020 Day 2: crown|King and servant
Relationships: Kageyama Tobio/Tsukishima Kei
Comments: 4
Kudos: 136
Collections: The King and the Commoner





	The Crown and the Shield

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Happy TsukkiKage Week!
> 
> Please accept my humble contribution. Enjoy!

“My decision is final,” Tobio announces to the council of Lords and Ladies, calmly and composed. “I expect everyone to follow this directive. That would be all.” He stands, and the chairs of most everyone scraped the floor and the sound echoes loud in the meeting hall. With a small nod of his head, Tobio turns and leaves the nobles to talk and dally amongst themselves.

“This is preposterous!” The pudgy lord Tobio had been politely ‘arguing’ with earlier huffed as he slams a hand on the wide table, earning the looks of the others. “Surely you can’t all agree to that!”

“Actually, we do. And we did.” Lady Saeko, now that the King is absent, has crossed her legs on top of the table, shoeless and elegant dress not so elegantly draped, much to the discomfort of the others, but not to her. She’s clearly done with the other noble’s tirade. “The only reason this meeting was called because _you_ insisted that you be heard in the council. And you were, but it proved to be a colossal waste of our precious time.”

Kei snickers inwardly, basking in the effect of the lady’s words on the man and admiring the Lady Saeko more for being upfront and brutal with her words. It’s not the first time he wishes he could have the same liberty, but alas, it wouldn’t reflect well on their King, seeing as he’s his right hand man.

“Why you-” the lord sputtered but remembering that he’s not the only noble in the room reigned himself and instead stood up with much aggression, the chair almost falls. “You,” he yells and it takes a moment for Kei to realize that he is the one being addressed. And since he has to maintain at least a civil front, he deigns the lord with a blank, bored look. “ _You_ should have been the King.”

Kei feels his eye twitch and it takes a lot of him to remain passive and just ignore the man, but clearly he’s an idiot because he had the gall to continue. “That _boy_ of a King does not know a thing about running a kingdom and he’d sooner run all of us to the ground and before he grows up.”

A slam on the table startles everyone in the room and they all look at Kei who’s now standing up, looking at the man with thinly veiled disgust. Let it be known that Kei can also be brutal with his words if pushed. “I’d suggest watching your tongue, _my lord._ Speaking ill of the crown is breaking faith with it, and is considered treason.” Everyone held their breath, recognizing the threat for what it is.

Kei finds vicious pleasure at the horrified expression and he lets it stew for a moment. “But I understand that you are merely upset and is why you said the things you did.” Without waiting for anything else, he gives the man one last condescending smile, then nods at the assembly before he takes his leave.

\-----

Kei should have been the King.

The crown had been passed on to their family and his older brother, Akiteru was the former king. He remained unmarried and without an heir during his reign and named his younger brother to be his successor once he’s come of age. Akiteru never planned to stay in the throne for long, and plans to abdicate it as soon as Kei is ready, and as consequence, Kei had been primed for the succession since he was young.

And that had been the plan until Akiteru discovered the reason of how their family came to be the rulers. Once he realized that the power their family gained was due betrayal and usurpation orchestrated by his great grandfather, he had been disillusioned.

Because Akiteru is a just king, he couldn’t well stay in the throne knowing what he did.

He immediately called for the search of the members of the Kageyama family and found that what remained of them are siblings, an elder sister Miwa and her younger brother Tobio. Akiteru summoned them and told them everything and promised that he will reinstate their family and their honor, and even name Tobio as King. Miwa had been skeptical and extremely hesitant. They’d been living a simple commoner life, but a peaceful one and she don’t want to risk that.

That and they don’t know anything about ruling a kingdom. Tobio had received education from the state sponsored institution, but his marks were subpar. He had learned the trade of woodworking from his grandfather and his primary work aside from other labor work he does on the side, and is close friends with farmers, apprentice smiths, merchants, and fishermen.

Kei thinks that he’s clearly not qualified and wanted to persuade Akiteru to change his mind. But Akiteru was adamant. He’s telling them, because they are the people primarily involved and the people whose lives will change the most, but he will step down and declare them as rightful ruling family, whether they accept it or not.

Kei begrudgingly had been the one to offer the solution. Akiteru wants to step down as soon as possible and they can’t leave the throne empty until Tobio’s ready (he doubts he ever will), but he must, so he can learn as he goes. Kei (against his better judgment) volunteered to be the one to help him, much to Akiteru’s immense pleasure and gratitude.

The council was a different matter, altogether. Without a stellar background to boast of, the decision was definitely met with opposition. If Akiteru wants to abandon the crown so badly, at least name Kei as the new king, citing how he’d been preparing for this all his life. Others had approached Kei to tell him that he can still change his mind, and sway his brother’s. Some even had the audacity to tell him that they are behind him and will assist him to get back what was _rightfully_ his, whatever means necessary, as if they’re not aware that they are talking to one of Akiteru’s loyal subject, as if they could sway Kei with promises of power, when all his life, Akiteru’s been telling him that being king is never about power but about serving the people and leading all of them to a greater life.

They were met with a cold no and unwavering support for the decision of his king brother. This resolved him more to make Tobio the greatest king this kingdom has ever seen.

Though, that proved to be a challenge, as he soon found.

Tobio is stubborn as a mule, hardheaded and reckless. He doesn’t care for much about etiquettes and traditions. He doesn’t want to be constrained by the rules that come with his position. He’s also helpless when it comes to anything concerning academics, as if he’s willfully rejecting everything Kei is trying hard to teach him.

It had been terribly frustrating. Kei had been on the verge of abandoning his self-imposed post, ready to eat his words and actually blame Akiteru for their predicament and the decline the kingdom will face because of his righteous decision, but an incident changed all of that.

Tobio had a bad habit of escaping his guards and leaving the castle to go god knows where. Kei had found his means of escape and followed him secretly. It turns out, Tobio returns to his village to visit the villagers and his friends –friends who still treat him as Tobio, the woodworker and not as Tobio, the King.

It had been an insightful trip and Kei gained a new perspective about what make Tobio, Tobio.

He changed his teaching style after that. Opting for a more practical and immersive approach than containing Tobio in a study room. It proved effective. And as much as Tobio comes off standoffish and arrogant, he has a way of connecting to common people and always seems interested to what they have to say.

Kei also started to open up more about his experiences, and learned to be vulnerable in front of Tobio. Eventually, Tobio starts doing the same. It’s inevitable that they learn about each other more and even more inevitable for something else, something stronger, to form between them. If Kei had been in it for the sake of his pride before, he’s definitely doing it for more than that now.

If Kei wanted to see Tobio succeed just to shove it up those noble’s faces, he’s also doing it because he knows that Tobio will and it’s going to be the best thing to happen in this country and he wants to be by Tobio’s side when that happens.

\-----

Kei finds Tobio in his study, standing in front of his encased crown, eyebrows furrowed deep in contemplation, not noticing that his in the room. He wraps his arms around Tobio and perches his chin on his shoulder.

Tobio stiffens before relaxing and putting his hands over Kei’s arm.

“Are you alright?” Kei asks.

Tobio only nods with a small smile that Kei doesn’t buy. “What are you thinking about?”

“…The people. Kei, I had to save them. I have to close our borders and stop trading with other kingdoms to do that, but what if that’s not the right decision?”

The kingdom is facing a great challenge when a plague with unknown origins have been spreading and killing people in neighboring kingdoms and in a bid to prevent their own kingdom and its people from that fate, Tobio had to make a hard decision. It’s a great and unprecedented challenge no king before had ever faced, but Tobio, young as he is, proves he’s competent enough by handling it with calmness, confidence, and compassion.

“Hey, stop that,” Kei orders softly, letting Tobio go in order to turn him around and make him face Kei. “You did the right thing. The council supports your move, and they gave you their word that they will share their wealth to the people to get the kingdom by.”

“But you heard that lord,” Tobio grumbles. “Maybe you should’ve been the king.” Kei inhales sharply and curses the damn lord in his head.

“Since when do you listen to pompous lords? He’s only throwing a fit because he’s attached to his coins. But it’s just one man’s opinion against the rest of us, and we support you.” Kei guided Tobio’s face so he can be forced to meet his eyes. Tobio does, but there’s still some lingering doubt in them. “You heard that?”

Tobio bites his lips. “He was rather loud.”

“He’s completely wrong.” Kei insists. “And I made sure that he knows he is. You are what this kingdom needs, Tobio.” Kei lets go of Tobio’s face to take his hands and press them on his lips. “And I’ll do everything I can for everyone to know that.”

Tobio finally graces him with a small but genuine smile, one that brings a shine in his eyes. “Thank you, Kei.” It means more than that.

Kei only presses his lips on his king’s hand, a sign of fealty and love.

Tobio is his king and he’s the king’s loyal servant.

Tobio is the crown and Kei is and forever will be his shield.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
